1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to marine vessels and more particularly to a flipping conversion seat and lean post apparatus for marine vessels.
2. Description of Related Art
Comfort and usability are critical factors in marine vessel and boat design, particularly when designing sport fishing boats and other small craft where deck space is at a minimum. Common to center-console open fisherman style boats are leaning posts which provide boat operators and boaters a substantially vertical support on which to comfortably lean during operation of the vessel. Leaning posts are particularly useful due to the dynamic nature of open fisherman boats wherein generally standing will provide more stability for the boater than a traditional sitting position. Nonetheless, when such an open fisherman boat is stopped, drifting, or even trolling, a boater may desire to be in a seated position for additional comfort. Moreover, because such boats are multi-purpose and will often be used for various recreational activities, boaters may desire to have a sun-pad in order to lay down comfortably for extended periods of time.
Because available space is always at a premium, it is often desirable to provide seating and comfort features that have multiple positions and are otherwise multi-purpose. Moreover, the ability to store seating in a manner that clears deck space is often desirable in order to improve the usability and flexibility of a boat. Several attempts have been made to provide versatile seating for open fisherman style boats, however none are particularly elegant or provide a complete compliment of possible seating or leaning positions.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,819,483 to Kushner et al. describes a combination leaning post storage compartment comprising a seat assembly having a D-ring a cross tube disposed in the D-ring defining a rectangular boundary. Two side frames are removable attached at opposite ends of the D-ring and a crossbar is attached between the side frames. A seat cushion is pivotably attached to the crossbar and a soft-sided storage compartment is removably attached to the rectangular boundary. The storage compartment is accessible by pivoting the seat cushion.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,647,880 to Devine describes an adjustable boat leaning post mounting systems that comprises a pair of side-by-side seat posts on which a leaning post can be adjustably mounted. The space between the support posts can be adjusted to accommodate various seating configurations including a leaning post and separate seats.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,252,336 to Frisina describes a pivotable boat seat having a seat cushion and a squab with the seat being adjustable between a first seating configuration and a second leaning configuration, wherein in the second configuration the squab is positioned forward of its first position and substantially above the forward most position on the seat cushion. Two tubular members attached the squab to the seat on either side and provide a pivot point for the squab to articulate relative to the seat cushion.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,341,018 to Greenberg et al. discloses a retractable deck mounted rumble seat wherein a deck has an opening in which a pivotable seat is located. The back of the seat forms a hatch closing the opening in the deck section. A hydraulic actuating system under electrical control is provided to pivot the seat between an open and a close position.
Although the prior art provides some solutions to existing problems, none provide a solution
It is, therefore, to the effective resolution of the aforementioned problems and shortcomings of the prior art that the present invention is directed. However, in view of the seats, lean posts, and loungers in existence at the time of the present invention, it was not obvious to those persons of ordinary skill in the pertinent art as to how the identified needs could be fulfilled in an advantageous manner.